


A Noivice's Compendium to Magical Tinkering and Adventuring

by TibiDecet



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Aftermath of a kidnapping, Gen, I'll update the tags if need be as chapters are posted, There's also a tiefling and an half orc BUT they're there for a really small moment so, This is going to be a collection of short stories about characters from a campaign I'm playing, Waterdeep Dragon Heist spoilers, We haven't finished the campaign yet though, not of the main character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:26:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 8,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26748748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TibiDecet/pseuds/TibiDecet
Summary: Edith Clarke is a human artificer with big dreams for the future, and an undiscovered talent for getting into trouble.This is a collection of moments taken from or inspired by the campaign I'm playing with my lovely friends. I'll make sure to write down non-canon things, so that I don't confuse people too much!There might be spoilers for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, as that is the campaign we're playing! I'll add a warning in the beginning notes of specific chapters, because some will be character-focused and therefore shouldn't be too "spoiler-y".Chapters will upload daily, as this is my submission for Fanwriter.it's Writober!
Kudos: 3





	1. Backstory

**Author's Note:**

> For Backstory, I chose to give you a brief input into Ed's family background!  
> Hope you enjoy!

Today's the day. 

She knows, of course, because she’s been counting down the days for about a couple of weeks now. But there’s also a weird energy in the house, a quiet sort of calm that probably comes from the fact that the forge is closed this morning. Edith has finished packing her bags last afternoon, but she still mentally goes through each object in her pack one last time, just to appease her ever growing anxiety. 

Today is the day she leaves her home. She will travel and learn, discover new places and new ways of creating. Neverwinter hasn’t taught her every secret it holds, and her family could still use her extra help: those are the main reasons she’s procrastinated leaving. But in her heart she knows what she really wants to do is leave - it’s a thought that has been stuck in her head since her tutor suggested it. She doesn’t necessarily feel ready, but after all who ever does?

She’s promised to write back home. 

At breakfast, father gives her a pat on the back and a journal to keep her memories in. It’s a stunningly simple leatherbound book, and she already knows what she’s going to write in it - after all, she’s travelling alone, and she’ll need some way of passing time when she’s not travelling. 

She runs into her mother after she’s gone back up to her room to get ready: she hugs her tightly - too tightly, but she’s used to it, after all they’re a family of smiths - and gives her an envelope with a proud smile and shining eyes.

"It’s just a small family secret. Open it when you're prepared enough, you'll know when." She says with a wink, then stuffs it in one of the many pockets of her bag. 

Edith says goodbye to her three younger siblings. Alex looks one part envious and three parts excited to inherit her room as they hug her goodbye; Edith proudly pins their handmade brooch to her cape, the copper coloured cog fits perfectly next to her mechanical light. Brigitte trots up to her with teary eyes, and the older assures her that her small tiefling horns will have surely grown by the time she’ll be back - and to tell Michael if anyone picks on her because they’re too jealous of her stunning purple skin. Oliver, the small four years old half-orc that her parents had adopted the previous year, peaks his head from behind Brigitte’s legs and gets himself swooped up in a Clarke-style squeezing hug.

She’s just finished putting down Oliver when a foot taps her ankle.

“You ready, little sister?” Edith huffs and shakes her head, sharing a secretive smile with Brigitte before turning to the human goliath that is her brother. 

“We’re literally twins, you twat.” She protests, but Michael just waves away her words. 

“Ready to go? I’m supposed to walk you to the edge of town.” With one last wave to everyone, she nods. And then, they leave. 

As they walk, Edith tells him about projects she’s working on, and he talks about the training that awaits him - joining the city guard is only one of many things on his list of personal achievements. It feels so much like any other day, as if they’re just making their way from the forge to Mike’s training grounds, or Ed’s tutor's personal abode. 

Instead, in the blink of an eye they find themselves standing at the gates of Neverwinter. 

"So, this is where I leave you." Michael says after a moment of awkward silence - Ed’s voice died down once she’d realized where they were standing. 

"Yeah." She replies, but her feet are suddenly stuck to the ground. Maybe she should wait some more. She doesn’t want to wait, but maybe - The others could still use some more help at home.

"It's gonna be alright, you dumbass." Michael comments, gently bumping their shoulders together. 

"I know." 

"It's gonna turn to night before you reach the next town if you don't hurry up."

"I know." She takes a deep, shaky breath, then turns towards him. They both pretend not to notice each other’s teary eyes. 

"I'll bring you a souvenir. Try not to break too many bones while I'm away."

"You mean mines, or …?" He asks, feigning a confused expression and making her burst out in laughter, one of her hands reaching out to swat at his arm. 

"Oh my gods, shut up. Take care of the rest of the family, I love all of you." She says, swiping at her eyes. She doesn’t sniffle, and it’s a win in her book. 

"I will, promise. We love you too, little sister." He replies with the worst, shit-eating grin ever, and Edith can’t help but spread her arms open in defeat as she starts walking away. 

"SHUT UP! STOP! It's literally two hours!"

"It still counts!" 

"It does not!" She yells back, laughter in her voice, and the last thing she hears is her brother's laughter following her as she begins her journey.


	2. Circle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edith is a human artificer, and for her subclass I chose the Battle Smith. This means that since she's reached level 3, she's now accompained in battle by a Steel Defender.   
> I debated long and hard on which form to choose, because I wanted it to be special - it's not every day that you build yourself a mechanical animal companion.   
> After debating it with one of the other players (the wonderful woman that plays as Helinniel) I decided to go for a mechanical spider; this is due to the fact that Edith's cure wounds "spells" are small spiders which are able to spray healing potions, burn salves or suture wounds depending on the occasion.   
> Add to that the fact that I am a big nerd, thus Peter (definitely not Parker) was born. 
> 
> Hopefully the endless note wasn't too much - I figured I should maybe clarify what's happening for anyone who's not that much into d&d mechanics.

It starts when Edith is fifteen, bored out of her mind in her room. She's supposed to be doing her homework, but all she can force her mind to do is fantasize on epic adventures and formidable heroes. 

The pencil in her hand swivels around the air, then lands on the paper with a soft thud. 

_ Just write something!  _ She mentally pleads, and her hand moves. She draws a circle. 

Then, she huffs out in frustration and decides that that's it, she's done for the moment. She's going to take a break, eat a snack and then come back to her homework. 

Half an hour of aimlessly walking around the house later, she lets herself fall down on her chair, now determined to do her job. 

But first- a tiny spider has crawled its way on her notebook. She grabs a stray piece of paper and gently moves it closer to the arachnid, hoping to coax it into hitching a ride straight towards her windowsill. Possibly, outside of her window. After a couple of minutes of trying to get it to walk in the correct direction, it finally decides to comply. 

By that time, Edith has been engaged in a rather compelling one-sided conversation with Peter - formerly “Mr. Spider” - and she closes the window behind him with a giggle and a wave. 

She’s spent enough of her afternoon doing nothing at that point, so one would expect her to sit back down and start doing what she’s supposed to. And she does, for the most part, but she still finds the time to doodle small Peters on the page.

Five years later, she’s stuck in a foreign tavern, with nothing to do and no way of travelling forward towards her current destination - Longsaddle- due to the heavy downpour that has been plaguing her travels for the past couple of days. Even though she’s glad she somehow managed to avoid getting stuck in the rain, she can’t help but feel annoyed at the lack of movement. 

She’s looking through her old notebook, trying to come up with an idea, when her eyes catch on an old, rather realistic, sketch of Peter. A sudden idea strikes her, and she taps the bottom of her pencil on her chin. 

Edith knows it’s going to be a long-time process. It’s going to be hard, and extremely complicated, but who knows. Edith for sure doesn’t. 

It’s only three years later that she finally manages to do it. She has certainly acquired the knowledge and tools required to do it - along with new friends and new scars. 

When Helinniel wakes up at around noon and walks into the small room adjacent her and Edith’s shared bedroom, she finds the tall inventor asleep, half on the sofa and half on the ground, her hands and working clothes covered in soot and oil stains. 

Next to her, surrounded by tools, spare cogs and scraps of metal, is a hound-sized mechanical spider, which whirs rather quietly as its eyes open to look up at the stunned half-elf. Its head, connected but not fixed on its body, turns slightly to the side, kind of like a puppy - or like Edith, whenever Mazdi makes a joke she doesn’t immediately understand. 

They’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks, but by then Helinniel has seen quite enough of her creations. She nods, impressed, at the construct, then goes downstairs for breakfast. 


	3. Statue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !! Possible Spoilers for Waterdeep Dragon Heist in this chapter and under the line!
> 
> \-------
> 
> This takes place in our current "campaign present", where the gang has acquired and finished renovating the tavern.   
> I've had a lot of feelings about the statues of Waterdeep since I discovered they could walk - I'm very new to D&D don't get mad at me - and I can imagine Ed's head must have been blown at the prospect.

Sometimes Edith spends the whole night awake, either working on a new project, taking care of a job or investigating the disappearance of a close friend - it has happened too many times for her not to add it to the list. 

She is, in general, partial to the night; her internal clock has an easier time waking her up at noon, rather than at a normal, humanly acceptable hour. 

But that doesn't mean she can't enjoy the glow of the dawn shining on a still mostly asleep Waterdeep. 

The view from her new bedroom is exceptionally stunning even when it's not bathed in pastel oranges and bright red. A sea of houses opens up before her, all similarly shaped but each one so unique - one has a steep roof, with a cute little window full of flowers, another has tiny clothes in shiny colours hung to dry, while another further up north has a deep royal purple roof. Then, just behind, where the sun is still cresting over the horizon, the actual sea. The reflection of the sun over it makes it look like a weirdly shaped hourglass, and Edith can see a boat gently floating towards the town - or maybe it's sailing away? She can't really tell, because while she is enjoying the scenery, her eyes can't help but stray towards the God Catcher. 

The huge statue stands starkly against the rest of the background, its massive arm raised towards the sky. Back when they used to live at Raenar's place, it would cover half of the view of the town.

It is, quite honestly, a bit scary. Not only because the first and last time she was inside of it they found themselves fighting a group of cultists, while trying to save one of their friend's life. 

Sometimes, when she turned her head a bit too quickly, she could swear it had moved - a trick of the light, a wrong impression caused by her own paranoia. But it didn't help that she knew that the statue could actually move, if one was powerful enough to will it into action. 

Still, the statue of the God Catcher was also a welcome sight. It had been a constant in her time in Waterdeep, whether it had been good or bad time. 

It had been one of the first places Volo had brought them to see as he narrated the story of the town, it had been the first thing she'd seen every morning as she looked out of the window. It had been where they'd found Raenar, one of the time he disappeared. It had been where she'd met Fel'Rekt. 

And now, from the window of her new room inside their renovated tavern, it was still one of the prettiest things of the town she'd chosen to move in.


	4. Lipstick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ! Minor spoilers for Waterdeep Dragon Heist!
> 
> \-------
> 
> While it was a bit hard to avoid the stereotypical "not like other girls" effect for this chapter, I made sure to stick as close to the truth as possible.  
> Ed does care about her appearance, but she’s not good at taking care of herself. She canonically burnt half of her face off while experimenting with fire when she was about fifteen, which left her with scars on the right side of her face, no right eyebrow and little to no hair on that side of her head. She also grew up working in a forge and loves tinkering a lot, so she’s prone to getting dirt all over herself. 
> 
> All in all, Edith likes practicality and wishes she could add some sophistication to her life, even though she figures it would take too much effort.   
> Mazdi poking fun at her and telling her to take more care of herself is a rather funny and frequent bit.

Edith was not really used to wearing lipstick. 

She’d worn plenty of makeup before, of course, especially after the first months after she’d burnt off half her face while experimenting with her portable fire bombs. There were a couple of months during which her skin had been healed enough for her to be able to cover the scars without furtherly damaging the area, and it had helped the constant staring from strangers. 

Mother’s coloured pencil had also helped recreating her eyebrow when needed - another thing she’d lost to the fire - but the same couldn’t be said about her hair. One could not really paint on half a head of hair. And Michael had somehow convinced her that she looked cool. 

But after a while she’d stopped using either, and simply started living with it. She’d embraced the “fame” of crazy inventor and refused to spend time trying to try and convince her peers of the contrary. She might have also started thinking that it looked cool. 

The thing is, she’s not usually involved in things that require her to look her best. 

A part of her thinks it should feel weird, dressing up for the occasion, but after all that’s happened in the past weeks - including but not limited to: repeatedly saving a Lord from cultists, living in said Lord’s house rent-free, obtaining a tavern, knocking herself out with her own fire bombs, temporarily working for a drug lord and fighting a giant worm in the middle of the streets of Waterdeep - it’s not that weird to sit cross legged in front of Mazdi as he “fixes her up”. 

When Helinniel and Lord Neverember had left a handful of hours before, in order to go to their  _ very fancy _ and  _ very private _ dinner, Mazdi had declared that they were going to have a gala dinner too. To be honest, it hadn’t been on Ed’s to-do list, not for the night nor for the rest of her life, but it had been easy to get swept up in her companion’s enthusiasm. 

They’d hurried their way towards the nearest fancy clothing shop - the same one she’d visited that same afternoon with Helinniel to buy their own elegant dresses - and then hurried their way back. 

And now there they were, sitting on the floor of Mazdi’s room in Lord Neverember’s home, with Edith trying her best not to blink as Mazdi applied a thin line of light teal on her lower lashline - she’d been skeptical of the bright colour, but apparently she needed a point of light on her face, and Edith was perfectly capable of recognising when somebody had more knowledge than her on a topic. 

So when Mazdi had showed her the dark shade of lip tint he was going to use for her, she hadn’t batted an eye - metaphorically speaking, because in fact she had been trying to blink away the slightly bothering feel of the makeup on her eyes. 

After he's finished with his work, Mazdi gives her a focused look, then a firm nod. 

"All done, all ready! Let's go." He stands up, and offers her a hand to help her up. After plentyful thank yous, Edith makes her way to the door, promising to be back once she'd put on her dress. 

"Meet you back in ten, alright?" She says after moving into the hallway. Mazdi hums affirmatively, a smirk suddenly appearing on his face.

“You know, you should use that colour when you go on your date with Fel’Rekt." He comments, gesturing towards her lips, and before Edith can answer anything he closes the door of his room. 

Edith, instead, is left alone, red faced, sputtering at the wooden door in the empty hallway. 


	5. Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helinniel is our party's swashbuckler rogue!   
> She's an half-elf and she is hella cool; the friendship she has with Edith is super fun and interesting to roleplay! Ed's in the process of teaching her how to build things, and in exchange she's picking up some tips and tricks on how to get people to do what she wants - not with that much success because Ed has negative charisma BUT STILL.   
> They're friends!

Helinniel misses the sea. 

Edith can't stop thinking about it. 

It's silly, really, how much the half-elf's comment has stuck with her, but it just can't seem to leave her head, every time she looks at her. 

Helinniel is more than an enigma, she's a closed box, with small tiny holes on the sides, which let her see just a teeny-tiny bit of what goes on in her mind. And Edith knows that there's a key somewhere, a way to open the box, but she hasn't got the slightest clue about how to even look for it. 

Helinniel was born and grew up in the same town as Edith, yet they never met before they sat down at the same table in the same tavern in a town half a region away from their homes. 

Not only it feels weird how they never met - Neverwinter is big, of course, but it's still curious - but … Helinniel misses the sea. 

Which is weird, and highlights how different their lives were as they grew up. 

Edith knows of the sea: she used to go there some times with her family, and she got plenty acquainted with its salty waters thanks to an overly enthusiastic brother that just couldn't help but dunk her head underwater all the time. 

She doesn't miss it that much, her place has always been in her family's forge, but she doesn't miss that either, at least at the moment. She was afraid - terrified honestly - that leaving her family would have meant missing them constantly, but it's not that bad. Yeah, sometimes she thinks of a joke that Brigitte would like, and she makes herself jump when she expects a fakeout punch that Michael's not there to deliver. 

But she doesn't miss them that much; after all, she's probably eventually going to see them again. 

Meanwhile, she wonders why Helinniel misses the sea. What did she use to do? Edith knows she was a merchant, does that mean she used to transport her wares overseas? 

Why did she leave? Is she running from something? Did something happen, that made her leave the sea? Is that why she misses it? 

Sometimes Edith wonders. 

Other times, she figures she's just making a fire out of a small spark, thinking about big things when it was probably just an innocuous comment. 


	6. 1K

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ! Spoilers for Waterdeep Dragon Heist!
> 
> Well this was definitely a lot to write! I had been wondering what to put for this prompt, and I figured I'd mix it with another prompt from another list, which was "letter".   
> This takes place around the same time of "Statue", after the whole gang has settled into their new tavern.

_ Dear Family, _

No, that sounds too formal. Edith taps the bottom of her pencil over her chin. She'd decided she needed to write back home, just to make sure everyone was alright and to reassure them that she is fine. 

_ Hey everyone,  _

_ How are you all doing? _

Still not the best, but better than nothing. 

_ I do hope you are all well. I myself am doing well too.  _

Edith's mouth contorts as if in pain at her wording, and she quicky crosses it out - she's using a spare sheet in order to plan the letter out, while the actual parchment and ink she'll use are resting next to her. 

She takes another look at the letter and shakes her head with a sigh. It's just her family. It's just been a while since she last saw them.

_ I hope you're all doing well. I'm still alive! Has Michael gotten into any fights yet?  _

The last part she adds with a chuckle, then goes back to thinking. Edith supposes that she should catch them up on what has happened since she arrived in Waterdeep, but … are there things she should leave out? There are conflicts of interest regarding the whole Neverember gold thing: she doesn't want to share the information they know with the enemy - should they ever come across her letters. 

Maybe she can find a way around it. 

_ I'm a tavern owner now! Me and _

Ah, right. Edith sheepishly crosses out the previous sentence and a half, and starts working on a description of her teammates that will not make them send down Michael to keep an eye on her. 

_ I've met some incredible people, especially two other adventurers with whom I've bonded a lot. Mazdi is a religious half-elf, whose approach to life Alex would love: he is very easy-going, but takes very seriously the protection of the innocents. Helinniel is a very skilled half-elf: she is extremely good at convincing people with her words, she could be a wonderful seller; she is also very skilled at intel gathering, which can become very helpful when we're tracking down criminals.  _

A part of Edith doesn't want to include that last part, but her parents know she left to become an adventurer, so. It's not like it's going to be unexpected. 

_ We've been helping out people in town, since apparently kidnapping is very popular, and we're slowly making a name for ourselves.  _

_ As payment for some of the works we took, we've received a tavern that we now run! It's not the prettiest, nor the most famous, but it feels like home away from home. I now have a very big room for myself, with even a small tower that I will use as a laboratory.  _

_ Speaking of which! I have been taken as an apprentice in Waterdeep's Temple of Gond! It is truly an incredible place, full of wonderfully talented people and extremely interesting creations. I can't wait to learn so much more from them.  _

Edith can't help but look up for a moment, shooting a glance at Peter's form curled up on the ground, a small smile forming on her face.

_ I have given life to my first automaton. His name is Peter, he's a hound-sized metal spider that has been escorting me through the town and protecting me in battle. While I do hate to sound too self absorbed, he really is an incredible creation. He's able to understand simple tasks outside of combat-related ones, and he does seem to show some inkling of emotions.  _

_ Mom, I still haven't opened your letter. I think I might soon, but not yet. _

As Edith eyes the closed envelope on her desk - a bit stained and old looking, due to the time it has passed since she received it -, she wonders what to write next.

She can't mention Lord Neveremver without getting questions about why they met and why they're friends. She can't really talk about Mazdi getting kidnapped and used for experiments either. The cultists are probably off-limits too. 

She would love to talk about her firearm lessons with Fel'Rekt - well, about Fel'Rekt too - but that is also connected to the whole lost gold affair. 

So she just taps her pen on her desk. 

Maybe, she figures, that is enough information for one letter. 

_ How is everything back home? I hope Michael is doing fine - if you're reading this, I miss you, twin. It's hard to be so far away from you when we used to spend so much time together. Has Alex been enjoying their time at the forge?  _

_ And have Bri's horns been growing well? I have met quite a few tieflings here in Waterdeep, one of whom will be probably working in our tavern! Maybe if you all ever come to visit you could meet them too! _

_ Oliver would love it here too, there's a lot to explore and so many things to see! I've been here three months and I still haven't seen it all! _

Edith realizes with a wet chuckle that she's getting teary-eyed, and hurries to wipe at her eyes. This is why she waited so long to write back home - she knew she'd get nostalgic. But after all the messes she's been getting into and all the ever-so-close brushes with death she's had, she really doesn't want to go out without her family even knowing where she was. 

_ I hope to hear from you all soon. I'm doing my best to make you all proud, when I'll come back I'll make sure to show you everything I've built and how much I've improved.  _

_ With all the love in this plane of existence,  _

_ Edith. _

With a small sigh, Edith takes the time to read the whole letter a couple of more times, unable to find any major mistakes and any alternatives to the phrases she doesn't really enjoys reading. 

Satisfied with her finished product, she stretches her back a bit, then starts copying down her words on a proper sheet of paper. 


	7. Sage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ! Possible Spoilers for Waterdeep Dragon Heist!
> 
> The special appearance in this chapter is Mimmo, who was one of the candidates for becoming a cook in our tavern! Our DM made a really cool backstory for him, and to be honest we were really torn because we had to let him go ... It was a really sad moment. Hopefully we'll grow famous quickly and we'll have to enlist a second cook!

Mimmo is a cool dwarf. His story of how he lost his home to a volcanic eruption breaks her heart, but she's mostly interested in his entrepreneur approach to life. 

Having grown up among artisans and businessmen, she can recognise the easy way he jumps from one idea to the other. As he moves from one side of the kitchen to the other, gathering flour and balancing a box of eggs on his elbow, she can clearly see the image he's verbally drawing and she knows, despite the fact that she will have to talk about all of this with Helinniel and Mazdi, that a part of her is buying what he's selling. 

Mimmo definitely has an aura of brightness and enthusiasm that constantly surrounds him, and a way of carrying people forward with him - Edith still remembers how he'd more or less shouldered his way into being in the first staff testing group, in order to have a place to sleep in. 

Edith is almost completely sure that Mazdi will vouch for him to become their main chef. The cleric has clicked with him since the beginning, their easygoing approach to life being the probable main factor in this. Mazdi is also very accustomed to helping those in need, and Mimmo is in need of a good turn. She can't even imagine what it must be like, losing your home and your work at the same time, and having no second plan. 

As she listens to him talk about the forge they should build, she can't help but follow with her eyes the movements of his hands, spinning skillfully a disc of what she can only assume is flat bread - cooking has never been her forte. 

"And then, I have some younglings from my brother's side that could help out- Could you pass me a couple of leaves of sage?" Mimmo interrupts his tale to gesture distractly to his left, where a shelf of differently shaped plants resides. Edith's brain screeches to a halt: she'd been so focused on his story that it took her a moment to realise he'd been talking to her - mainly because there was nobody else in the room. 

Had it been any other name, Edith would probably be sheepishly admitting ignorance. Plants are definitely not her thing, and their names and shapes confuse her. 

But sage, that she knows. Back when she'd tried learning magic, it had been a component for spells. She can't say she'd ever thought about it belonging in the kitchen, but she was also keenly aware of her own ignorance on the matter. 

She picks a couple of leaves and pulls some threads from the fabric of magic around her, cleaning it of some residual dirt. 

Mimmo doesn't notice her doing it, but he does smile brightly at her when she passes him the ingredient. That, to Edith, is good too. 

Maybe she's also partial to him becoming their main chef.


	8. Evening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Grand Revel was a super cool experience!  
> It was my first ever "festival" in D&D, as I haven't been playing for a long time, and it was very different from what I'm used to.   
> Even though, to be completely honest, Dragon Heist is overall very different from what I'm used to, in all aspects. 
> 
> It was also very cool, because when we had this session I was actually away on vacation, and since we were playing late into the night, I had to keep my voice super low in order to not wake the whole camping, AND I had to shower myself in anti-bug spray. It was very funny on my part.

It's a lovely evening. 

Despite the fact that there will be a lot of people walking around town tonight, partying and dancing and probably causing chaos, Edith can't wait to get outside Raenar's house. 

When she'd received her official invitation that morning, she'd been ecstatic - she'd been thinking about Fel'Rekt's tentative but positive answer so much, she hadn't thought about how he couldn't comfortably walk around town during the day. 

Still, it had been good anyway: traditionally, gifts were exchanged. Which meant that Edith, having discovered it that morning after getting herself a date the night before, was extremely grateful for the extra time. 

She'd never been one for doing things last-minute, since she worked best while having time to make dumb mistakes and rethink her choices a couple of thousands of times. But still, she could work with that. She could try and be … spontaneous. 

After all, asking Fel'Rekt to celebrate the Grand Revel with her had been a spontaneous action - not taking into consideration how Helinniel and Mazdi had pestered her into asking him. 

That morning, Helinniel had helped her getting ready, then had left for her own date, followed by Mazdi a couple of hours later. 

Never one to waste time, Edith had gone straight into preparing her gifts: a rose-shaped brooch and a leather holster with a flower which only grew in the Underdark engraved on it - that itself had taken her a lot of time, mostly spent trying to find a flower shop that sold flowers from the Underdark. 

By the time the sun had started to set, she'd finished polishing down every detail as best she could.

She prestidigitated any spots or marks left on her hands - and a couple on her clothes because she had always been a messy worker - and then she'd gone downstairs to knock on Fel'Rekt's door. 

For a moment, she'd expected him to open the door and give her the usual firm nod, ready for a new hour of training with her newly acquired firearm. 

Instead, the elf looked fancier than usual, with his normal combat attire substituted by a more simple and slightly elegant set of clothing. 

There's a small moment of silence as Edith, ever so charmingly, simply stares at him and forgets what she's supposed to say. Then:

"Are you ready to go?" Fel'Rekt asks softly, extending his arm towards her. Edith mentally checks the gifts she's prepared - hours of work, proudly wrapped up, anxiously waiting for the elf's approval - and nods, gently placing her hand on his arm. 

Then, they venture outside. 


	9. Purple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ! Possible spoilers for Waterdeep Dragon Heist!
> 
> Well, looks like it's angst time.   
> I don't think I've ever felt so helpless while playing D&D as when Mazdi got kidnapped by Waterdeep's most important drug cartel.   
> I was helpless when hearing him get knocked out, helpless when we couldn't find him, helpless when I knew we had to take it slow or we'd lose track of where he was being held.   
> It was a wild ride. 
> 
> Super cool, after we got him back!! It was a terrifying experience ahah

It's Alfredo's voice that wakes her up, at six am sharply, as for the past week. 

After the first day of arriving late for work, her and Helinniel had decided to ask Raenar's butler to wake them up early, so that they could get to the dockward in time. 

Waking up is actually a lot easier than standing up: spending whole days walking around, keeping an eye out for possible attacks, and then walking around at night, scoping around possible locations- it's been taking a toll on her physique, not to mention how the days have been getting colder and the winds harsher. 

Nevertheless, Edith gets up, because she has to. Looking after the dungsweeper is an endlessly boring job, but it means making a good impression on one of the Lords of the town, an possibly better jobs in the future. 

Despite having taken a bath the night before, she feels extremely dirty - trudging around in the sewers all day will do that to you - so she brings herself to at least splash her face with some water. It's extremely cold, and while it makes her recoil, it also serves the purpose of waking her up. 

And then, as she raises her head to look at herself in the mirror, all she can see are the purple bruises under her eyes, and the fear in them. 

It's been three days since she last slept more than a couple of hours per day, just like Helinniel. 

The half-elf rogue doesn't seem to be anxious, either because she's good at lying or because she has a lot more confidence in herself than Edith does, but Edith is terrified. 

It's been five days since they last heard from Mazdi. They've been to the last place he was seen, followed the traces of his body being carried away, scouted out multiple places where he could have been. They've worked for the woman that probably has him. They've freed some of the people she'd been experimenting on. 

Their time is running out, at least that's what Edith feels like, but at the same time she knows they have to take it slow. 

Be careful. 

They're fighting against somebody who has a network of thugs, warehouses and spies inside the town, and enough positive fame and notoriety to be considered a good person by most people. They can't afford people to figure out what they're trying to do - who they're trying to save - and kill Mazdi, or use him as leverage.

The two of them are stuck in a limbo of needing to be quick and needing to go slow in order to avoid attracting too much attention.

Thanks to the previous night's raid in a fake butchery, they have a new lead: there's a seemingly abandoned warehouse outside the walls of the town, and Edith feels sick thinking that it still might not be it. That they might be coming back home tonight - more like tomorrow at around four am - empty handed, again. 

Not that they even have a clue about whether Mazdi is still alive or not. 

Edith wipes at her eyes, frustrated at herself, and splashes her face once more.

One problem at a time, Clarke, she tells to herself. The purple bags under her eyes scream at her to rest. 

Find Mazdi, then you can rest.

A hand softly touches her shoulder: when she turns, Helinniel has already finished getting ready, and is giving her a bittersweet smile. 

"You ready?" The half-elf asks quietly, her eyes scanning her tired features, and Edith simply nods.

No rest until she's brought everyone back home. 


	10. Good Luck Charm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fact that Edith is an artisan *and* an artificer is something that I personally adore.   
> Being able to make little objects that virtually do nothing is very cool!   
> I love making presents for my friends ahah

It's not that she thinks that the brooch Alex made her before she left is an actual good luck charm. 

It is simply an iron cog, painted to look as it was made of copper. It's not heavy, thankfully, and while it doesn't serve any real purpose - her cape can hold itself together on its own just fine - it does look pretty. It definitely fits her overall style, that is absolutely the main reason why she wears it very day, even when she doesn't have to wear her cape. 

Accessories are important - or so people tell her - and it does hold a very strong sentimental value.

It has no real, scientific weight, especially in regards to something as feeble as luck. 

Edith doesn't believe in blind luck: through hard work and determination she has always been able to turn the tide in her favour. 

It's just that a lot of things have happened to her that are good, since she was gifted that charm. 

This is absolutely not the main reason why she wants to make personalized brooches for all of her friends. 

It starts out by chance, because she's looking for ideas for her … meeting … with Fel'Rekt (she will not call it a date until after it happens). She doesn't know what to gift him; since her main plan requires a certain amount of time and she doesn't know when they'll meet, Edith wants to make sure she has something ready. 

So, she makes a small rose shaped brooch. 

A couple of days later, it's Jalaster's turn, when Mazdi asks her for help. Whether it's because he wants to impress him, or obtain his favour in order to get something in return, Edith makes the pin. 

And at that point, she has other plans for the gifts she wants to give to her teammates, but she starts making plans nevertheless. 

For Mazdi, she'll need to sneakingly copy his deity's symbol - or maybe do some research on her own, and find some significant element she can replicate.

For Raenar, it's trickier: she doesn't know him that well, but he has an extremely refined taste, which means that she'll have to go all out on his gift. The more intricate, the better. Either that, or a "I don't know where my father hid the stolen money, please stop kidnapping me." Or a shorter version of that. 

As for Helinniel, hers will be probably the most technically hard of them all. Ever since the rogue has seen Peter, she's been asking for a smaller and simpler version. 

So, Edith plans on making a small black oval for her. Then, if one was to press a hidden button, it would transform into a mechanical spider. That, at least, is the plan. 

For that moment, Edith is happy to keep working on Mazdi's pocket lighter.


	11. Fake Relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An ode to Mazdi, the Grave Domain Cleric that lives each day as if it was the last!   
> He really is the most easy going character of all, while also being a troublemaker able to drag Ed into all sorts of situations. I really appreciate him - and his player.

To be completely honest, Edith had expected their plan of joining Helinniel and Raenar during their fancy dinner to be so short-lived. They were nobodies in a huge town, trying to get in an expensive reservation-only restaurant wasn't going to be as easy as merely walking up to the entrance and pretending to be Lords from a foreign land. After all, lying had never been Edith's strong suit. 

Still, Mazdi's decision to still try and have a gala dinner had been the right one, Edith thought as they were led inside the stunning looking restaurant and into a small lush garden. 

A small table with two posh looking chairs awaited for them, and soon enough they had been left alone with a puzzling menu. 

Mazdi stares at the card for a couple of moments, then turns to her with a sheepish grin.

"I have no idea what these words mean." He states, prompting Edith to chuckle a bit as she admits that she as well has no clue what is written on the menu. 

"This is gibberish- Well, I know what a ham appetizer is. We could get that and a good wine?" She suggests, half shrugging, thinking about the not-that heavy coin pouch strapped to her side. Edith's not that fond of spending money - if she can build something herself, she will save the money and do it on her own. Mazdi apparently doesn't feel the same, as he starts pointing at random things on the menu and suggesting they try them. 

After a handful of minutes spent going back and forth on the pros and cons of trying a "Flamed Heart of Waterdeep", which both instrigues and terrifies Edith, a senior looking server approaches their table and clears his throat.

"What would you and your wife like?" The server asks, turning to Mazdi, and Edith has just moment to be shocked before she sees a grin spreading on her companion's face and knows she has to act fast before he orders half the items on the menu and forces them to call Helinniel in order to pay for the meal - after all, she's the one keeping track of all of the group's gold. 

"Uh, if you wouldn't mind, me and my husband need but a moment more to discuss. He's not from around the coast, so we're trying to figure out what he would like to try first." She hurries to say, shooting a mental prayer to Gond as a thank you for preventing her from stuttering her way into a half lie. After all, Mazdi is not from the coast. And they do need to discuss more about what they're going to eat. 

A beat passes, then the server smile, nods silently and leaves.

Once he's out of earshot, Mazdi turns with the same excited grin on his face.

"So, what are we eating, darling?" 


	12. Vibrations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter is my lovely mechanical companion (a steel defender), and I do have a lot of feelings about him ahah  
> If anyone is looking to create an artificer, I highly suggest opting for a Battle Smith because it is a super fun subclass! Being able to tank both in melee and in ranged, while being a support class? It's impeccable.

The first time Peter falls during a fight, her heart stutters in her chest.   
She's aiming her crossbow at a small kenku on Mazdi's right, feeling secure in leaving Helinniel alone against their main opponent now that she had Peter to assist her - she is, after all, the best as close-quarter combat out of the three of them. And then, she hears Harko curse at Peter, followed instantly by a loud metallic clang and the sound of something extremely heavy hit the ground.   
It's a terrifying feeling, watching something she spent weeks working on, something she considers - knows - to be alive, crumbled on the ground like the pile of metallic junk it used to be before she breathed life into it.   
Edith gives herself three seconds.   
One to gape at the figure at Harko's feet.   
One to realise she's not going to be able to reach Peter and make sure he's alright before the fight is over.   
One to feel a wave of righteous anger for the pet she built herself, to fight alongside her, stomped to the ground as if he'd been an actual spider.   
Then she packs it all up, and stores it to the back of her mind. She'll have time to do what she needs to later.   
For now, her main priority is something else: she aims her crossbow towards the second to last Kenku and fires. 

After the fight, she kneels down next to Peter. His usually glowing eyes are a muted pink, nothing but a trace of the former bright light shining from them.   
Edith knows she's going to need to get used to this. She built Peter to be sturdy because she's not - not yet at least.   
Still, she hurries to start fixing the damaged plates and wiring; there's a stinging coming from her left side, probably due to the dagged that hit her previously, but that's not really on her mind at the moment. She's pulled through with worse stuff.  
It takes a while, but after a handful of minutes Peter's eyes start shining again, and the usual low thrumming of the arcane energy inside of him starts resonating again.   
Edith lets out a shaky sight, and places her head against Peter's, rejoicing in the feeble vibrations coming from his metal plate.   
Peter's claws click on the ground, almost inquisitively, stunning Edith as always with his ability to learn and improve.   
"'s alright, Pete. You're back. You did great, you were wonderful." She whispers against the plate. Peter's usual vibrations increase just a tiny bit, thrumming just a little bit more against her skin, and Edith can't help but smile.   
She knocks their heads together, then stands up.   
"Good boy. Let's go see what the others are up to."


	13. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty introspective piece that I wrote for Ed, so I do hope you enjoy it?

It's not unusual for Edith to lose focus on her surroundings. 

Sometimes she just finds herself blocking out everything that is going on around her: the noises fade, the background blurs and her mind chooses to latch itself onto a specific object, or a certain person, sometimes even a thought rattling around in her head. 

This has been extremely helpful growing up, as it has meant being able to focus on her studies despite the noises of a house full of people and an active forge just two floors downstairs. It hadn't been very welcome when her parents had been calling her down for meals and she wouldn't answer for ages - it had taken some time for them to accept the fact that she wasn't just pretending not to hear them. It had also been extremely unhelpful during her lessons, whenever she found herself so enraptured with the shape of the tip of her pencil that her teacher's voice simply ceased to exist. 

It would be better said that things didn't simply disappear. Most of the time she was perfectly aware of things being there - of people talking, images reaching her brain - but it was as if her mind just wouldn't be bothered with trying to make sense of them and just threw everything out, then it was lost forever. 

Sometimes, it was extenuating. 

Other times, the world was a constant barrage of information. 

There was an old lady hanging her clothes on a wire outside her window, a dog barking two streets down, Brigitte was walking down the stairs, mother hammering away in the forge, the clash of Michael's wooden sword against someone else's, an itch on the back of her leg, a really small fly on her desk. 

Those times, when Edith tried to reign her brain in, she desperately tried to get her brain to focus on one simple repetitive task - tapping her fingers on her table, twiddling with her necklace, humming lightly. 

Sometimes it worked.

Sometimes it happened as she was fighting, her brain kicking into overdrive, analyzing each possible event, all possible variables, every chance, every step she could take. An enemy on her far right, the glint of a dagger, the sounds of faraway footsteps, the smell of Helinniel's perfume from her left, the colour of Mazdi's armour - she could run, catch the guy on the right, but then she'd be alone, she could use her oil flask, but it could go to waste, Helinniel got hurt, has Mazdi got any spells yet-

But that too was extenuating.

And the thing is, she can't really control all of this, especially not for lack of trying. 

Mother used to call it her secret power, but Edith has long since realised that magic isn't her strong suit. 

She's an inventor and a problem solver. 

She just does her best with what she's given, and accepts that sometimes she's just going to struggle a bit more than usual. 

That perseverance (which Michael would call stubbornness) is what Edith really considers her secret power.


	14. Cards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tarot reading is a personal guilty pleasure.   
> Ever since I learnt about it, I've wanted to learn, and during quarantine I finally got myself a deck. One of the best decisions of my life. 
> 
> Since we rolled our characters' birthdays, I knew Edith is a leo, so I found on internet a reading specific for a full moon in leo and did it myself.   
> Let me know if you'd like me to explain the process behind it!

When Edith turns eighteen, Brigitte surprises her by knocking on her door at around midnight the day of her birthday. 

Edith almost misses the sound of her knocks due to her being deeply focused on the book on magical applications to everyday life that her parents had gifted her. Thankfully - or unfortunately, depending on personal opinions and specific circumstances - Brigitte’s partial demonic descendance means that she can easily start turning on and off the candle by her bedside, so the sudden light show prompts Edith to awaken from her book-induced stupor and hurry to the door. 

Brigitte is fifteen, bright eyed and purple skinned, and has an incredible passion for the art of divination, so it’s not that surprising that she’s holding her favourite set of tarot cards as she hurries inside her room.

“Don’t you have school tomorrow?” Edith asks under her breath with a smile, to which Brigitte just waves a hand dismissively before pointing to her closed window. 

“It’s a full moon! On your birthday! You  _ must _ let me read your cards.” And honestly, how could she ever refuse her sister? Edith gestures to the chair near her desk and moves to clear the table so that Brigitte can work her magic. 

“Should I open the blinds?” The older asks softly, taking a seat on the edge of her bed and resting an elbow on the desk, watching as Bri’s eyes light up in delight and she nods excitedly. 

Once the moon’s light is shining on her desk, the young tiefling closes her eyes and starts to search through the deck. After a moment, she places a single card on the desk - an elegant looking woman stares back towards Edith, while resting against a lion. 

“The strength card, which is the one associated with your birthday month. It’ll guide me in my reading.” Bri explains, then starts to shuffle. 

One after the other, she produces four other cards, setting them upright around the first one, as if creating a crown for it. Brigitte spends some more seconds tapping a finger against her chin, studying the cards - picking one up, humming, setting it back down. Edith’s foot taps on the ground to the rhythm of a song she doesn’t remember as she waits.

“So, what I’m thinking is. This card probably represents your most valuable strength, because it’s all about creativity, skills and cooperation.” She says, bluntly, pointing at a drawing of two men seemingly deeply concentrated as they work on a pretty looking window - Edith smiles, unable to decide how to properly react to the compliment.

“And these three, I think, are supposed to be suggestions, or like tips. Because this one is leadership, this one means rejoicing in what you have, and the last one represents accepting the praise and recognition you deserve, which we both know you’re useless at.” Brigitte quips, elbowing her in the side. Edith gapes for a moment, torn between uselessly protesting and accepting what she said just to prove her wrong. 

“Are you sure you didn’t like, sign the cards? You’re getting extremely good and accurate at this.” She decides to say, to which Bri simply bursts into giggles.

“You know what, just because you said that- here. Grab a card.” She states daringly, offering her the deck. Knowing she’s not going to win if she tries to protest, she fishes around the deck for a card and passes it over. 

The way Brigitte’s jaw drops the moment she sees it is quite alarming, but not as much as the conspiratory look she shoots her. 

“What? What’s up?” Edith asks, trying to hide the urgency in her voice - that look on her sister’s face never means well, the last time she wore that smirk she’d just discovered she could use her powers to make Michael believe he was late for his combat practice. Instead of answering, Bri just stands up with a giggle, grabs all her cards in a hurry and moves towards the door, her tail swishing behind her - leaving Edith confused and slightly scared for her own wellbeing. Just as she steps through the doorway, she turns with a grin that would normally look sweet, but Edith now can only find exceptionally scary.

“Nothing! Nothing much, I’m just happy to know you’re gonna find somebody special!” She quips, then shuts the door behind her before Ed can have time to react. 

The older stares, feeling lost, at the closed door, then she looks back at the moon and gestures towards where her sister was just standing, as if saying “can you believe her?!”, then she decides that it’s probably better to go to sleep. 


	15. Incense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !! Possible spoilers for Waterdeep Dragon Heist!!
> 
> As an afab individual questioning my gender identity, helping Fel'Rekt transition was ... something else. I still cannot thank my DM (who I hand't told about me questioning yet) enough for keeping this element of the story in, and especially for allowing me to take major part in it! <3
> 
> And remember: Trans rights are human rights!

Edith doesn't really know why she's feeling so giddy. After all, nothing's going to happen to her.

Still, it might be Fel'Rekt's nervous energy rubbing off on her. Not that you could ever easily say that he's nervous: it's just a mix of the slightly more tense line of his shoulders and what Edith herself expects him to be. 

It is a big night for him. 

Edith can't even begin to imagine how he must feel, especially since he must be many years older - how does one live for centuries in the wrong body? How long has he known for? How long has he known that what they're about to do is a reality?

Edith follows behind him as they move into Valetta's office, and wonders - simply wonders, because she never expected to know, and knows that answers to her questions are not owed to her. Maybe one day she'll ask. Who knows. 

The smell of incence hits her as soon as she walks through the door, then she notices the absurdly big block of clay sitting next to Valetta's desk. 

She takes a few steps towarda him and searches Fel'Rekt's eyes - mostly inscrutable as always, except for a tinge of emotion in the bent of his eyebrows. 

"Are you ready?" Calls Valetta's voice from behind her, preventing her from saying anything. Fel'Rekt looks lost for a moment, then he nods jerkily. 

"Do you want me to stay, or would you prefer I wait outside?" Edith asks softly, tentatively, not quite knowing what to do with herself. This is a big moment for him, but in all reality, she's not much more than a stranger helping him out. 

"If you'd like to stay, do so." He replies almost dismissively, avoiding her eyes as he starts to take off his coat. 

Edith looks at Valetta, who's drawing an intricate looking diagram on the ground in chalk, then back at him - then quickly back at Valetta to give him privacy. 

A hand grabs her arm gently and this time when she turns Fel'Rekt is looking right at her.

"If you'd like to stay, do so." He repeats, this time just a little more intensely, and Edith simply nods. 

"I'll stay."


End file.
